South Indian Inscriptions

EPIGRAPHIA INDICA

A number of inscriptions dated between the 3rd and 26th years of the reign of Kōpperuñjiṅga mention Piḷḷai or Perumāḷpiḷḷai alias Śōlakōn or Śōlakōnār.^[1] Some of them call him Araiśūruḍaiyān and Śēṅkanivāyar.^[2] He was one of the mudalis of the king.^[3] These inscriptions leave no doubt that he was the son of Kōpperuñjiṅga and was one of the king’s principal officers, Most of the orders of the king had been issued by him. A few bear his signature also. He made valuable presents to the temples at Chidambaram, Tiruvaṇṇāmalai, Vṛiddhāchalam and other places, founded gardens of flower plants and fruit trees, and provided for their perpetual maintenance by giving lands for the jīvita of the persons that had to work in them and for these that superintended the work.

That Vēṇāvuḍaiyān was another of the sons of Kōpperuñjiṅga is clear from his being called magan in inscription No. I below, and Perumāḷpiḷḷai in two other records where he is specifically stated to be the younger brother (tambi) of Śōlakōn.^[4] These three inscriptions are particularly important as they definitely establish that Śōḷakōn and Vēṇāvuḍaiyān were the sons of Kōpperuñjiṅga and that Vēṇāvuḍaiyān was the younger of the two. Thus including Nīlagaṅgaraiyan of Āmūr, Kōpperuñjiṅga had three sons.

It is interesting to note that some more members of Kōpperuñjiṅga’s family ate also known. In an inscription of the 35th year of the region of Kulōttuṅga III, the mother of Kōpperuñjuṅga is mentioned but the name is unfortunately lost. Since Jīyamahīpati of the Tripurāntakam inscription has been identified with the father of Peruñjiṅga the name of his mother has to be taken to be Śīlāvati. A certain Mīṭṭāṇḍār Nāchchiyār alias Nambirāṭṭiyār figures in three records^[5] as donor, the earliest of which is dated in the 31st year of Rājarāja III (A. D. 1247), the second belongs to the 9th year of the reign of Sakalabhuvanachakravartin Alagiyaśīyan Kāḍavarāyan Avaniyālappirandān Kōpperuñjiṅgadēvan and the third to the 15th year of the same king without the title Alagiyaśīyan. They tell us that she was the daughter (tirumagaḷār) of Nambirāṭṭiyār alias Uḍaiyālvār and queen (peṇṇaraśiyār) of Kūḍal Āḷappirandān Kāḍavarāyan Śāḍumperumāḷ. Looking at the title Kūḍal Āḷappirandān given to Śāḍumperumāḷ and at the dates of the records, viz. A. D. 1247, 1252 and 1258, as well as the application of the terms Peṇṇaraśiyār and Nambirāṭṭīyār to Mīṭṭāṇḍār Nāchchi it seems possible That Śāḍumperumāḷ may be a member of distinction in the family of Kōpperuñjiṅga next to the king or he king himself. If it be the latter, the name Śāḍumperumāl requires to be explained. The latter part of the compound indicating ‘king’, śāḍum may be taken to mean ‘dancing’. From the Drākshārāma inscription and other records it is clear that he was an adept in the science of Bharatanāṭya. Araśālvār mentioned in a record of Tiruveṇṇainallūr^[6] is probably a sister of Kōpperuñjiṅga.

The genealogy of the family of the Kāḍavas of Kūḍal embracing all the members noted above with their titles or surnames will stand as follows :─

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^[1]No. 432 of 1924 dated in the 26th year of Kōpperuñjiṅga has Piḷḷai Śōlakōnār ; Perumāl-pillai alias Śōlakōnār occurs in No. 460 of 1902. See also Nos. 302, 312 and 318 of 1913, dated in the 12th, 10th and 9th years, No. 80 of 1918, dated in the 11th year, and No. 199 of 1936-37, dated in the 5th year.
^[2] The chief is also called Piḷḷai Araisūruḍaiyān Perumā-piḷḷai alias Śōlakōn in No. 401 of 1903, dated in the 8th year. Araisūruḍaiyān Śeṅkanivāyar alias Piḷḷai Śōlakōnār in the 462 of 1902 dated in the 4th year and Piḷḷai Śeṅkanivāyar alias Śōlakonar in No. 400 of 1903 dated in the 11th year.
^[3]No. 460 of 1902, dated in the 8th year of Kōpperuñjiṅga and No. 80 of 1918, dated in the 11th year of his reign.
^[4] SenkanivāyanŚōlakōn tambi perumāl Vēṇāḍuḍaiyān occurs in No. 146 of 1902 and Kōpperuñjiṅgan mudali-goḷil Senkanivāyan Śōlakōn tambi perumāḷ piḷḷaiyāna Vēṇāvuḍaiyān in No. 504 of 1902.
^[5] Nos. 77, 78 and 98 of S. I. I., Vol. VIII.
^[6] No. 511 of 1921. This record states that in the 8th year of Kōpperuñjiṅga a maṇḍapa was erected by Arasālvār, the elder sister of Āḷappirandān Alagaiyasiyar of Perugai. Alagaiyaśīyan was Kōpperuṅjiṅga’s surname and Perugai of this inscription is certainly identical with the place of the same name in Inscription No. I below, and with the native place of the two sons of Āṭkoḷḷiyār alias Kāḍavarāyar.